Heel construction



April 5, 1949. J. NICOLETTI HEEL CONSTRUCTION Filed 001;. 27} 1947 4/73 29 241/ 76 fifi P IE 4 Patented Apr. 5, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HEEL CONSTRUCTION John Nicoletti, Yuba City, Calif.

Application October 27, 1947, Serial No. 782,386

4 Claims.

My invention relates to shoe heels and is especially concerned with elastic or deformable heels such as those made of rubber or comparable ma terials.

Rubber heels are normally fastened to a leather or comparable base on a shoe by nails passing through reinforcements in the heel and engaging the material of the shoe. Most people wear out their rubber heels more on one side than another and also wear out the heels considerably faster than the shoes are worn out. Furthermore, some shoes are made with leather heels whereas the purchaser prefers rubber heels.

In order to provide a readily applicable rubber heel, one which can be changed from a left shoe to a right shoe and vice versa, and one which can readily be installed and replaced by an unskilled person, I have provided a heel construction as disclosed herein.

It is an object of my invention to provide an improved heel construction.

Another object of the invention is to provide a heel which readily can be applied to the shoe by a relatively unskilled person.

A further object of the invention is to provide right and left heels which are readily interchangeable.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a rubber heel which is readily removable and replaceable by a new one.

Other objects together with the foregoing are attained in the embodiment of my invention, selected for illustration and description herein.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a view showing a portion of a shoe with a heel base as part thereof together with an attaching plate and heel for use therewith disclosed in isometric perspective with portions of the figure being broken away to reduce its size.

Figure 2 is an isometric perspective of a. heel plate suitable for use in connection with the assembly shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 ,is a plan of a heel and plate in assembled condition showing some of the fastening nails in cross section.

Figure 4 is a cross section through a shoe, the plane of which is indicated by the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a cross section through a shoe, the planes of section being indicated by the lines 55 of Figure 3.

In its preferred form the heel construction of my invention is for use in connection with a heel base forming part of a shoe and includes a plate adapted to be fastened to the base by suitable means such as nails and being formed with a number of converging channels and overhanging flanges spaced from the heel base. vA deformable heel having a cavity therein to receive or accommodate the plate is deformed to abut the heel base and is then released and when in released condition has projections wedged into the converging channels and has other projections disposed between the overhanging flanges and the heel base. In installed position, the heel and heel base are in registry encompassing the plate and the heel is held in position with respect thereto by the elasticity of the heel itself. If desired, a simple auxiliary or supplemental fastening can be utilized to improve the firmness of the connection.

While the heel construction of my invention is of course subject to variation depending upon the type of shoe with which it is utilized and in accordance with other factors, it has been successfully embodied and utilized as shown in the accompanying drawing. In this embodiment the heel construction is utilized in connection with a shoe, generally designated 6, having the customary contour and formed of leather lifts or similar material capable of receiving fastenings and providing a firm and generally planar support.

In accordance with my invention I mount on the heel base 8 a fastening plate 9. This plate is generally symmetrical about a longitudinal center line II which coincides with the center line l2 of the shoe and is disposed with the leading portion l3 of the plate approximately in alignment with or adjacent to the forward edge M of the heel base. The plate is symmetrical about the longitudinal center line H and extends transversely therefrom for a major portion of the distance to the side edges of the heel base.

The plate is preferably of a metal or similar material and is formed in one piece. As seen when viewed toward the surface which is placed in abutment with the heel base 8, the plate in cludes a pair of longitudinal ribs 16 and I1 extending substantially parallel to the longitudinal. center line and merging with a transverse rib H! of curved configuration. All of the ribs are substantially wedge shaped in cross section and terminate in a plane substantially coincident with the plane of the heel base M. In addition, the transverse rib has a number of projections I9 to assist in initially positioning the plate on the heel base 8. That is, the projections l9 are sufficiently small or sharp as to be readily pressed into the yielding material of the heel base. After the plate has been so positioned it is finally fastened by means of screws or nails 2| passing through suitable apertures 22 formed in the plate itself. The precise manner of positioning is described hereinafter.

Also forming part of the plate 9 are longitudinal flanges 23 and 24 disposed on each side of the rib l6 and comparable flanges 26 and 2! disposed on opposite sides of the longitudinal rib IT. The flanges are related to the ribs in such a way that on the exposed surface of the fastened plate there are provided converging channels 28 and 29 substantially in registry with the ribs l6 and I1 and also a central converging channel 3| formed between the flanges 24 and 26.

The flanges 23 and 24 as well as the flanges 26 and 21 extend longitudinally somewhat farther than the ribs l6 and i! so as to provide overhanging portions 32 which in effect constitute an interrupted over-hanging transverse flange. A comparable number of projections 33 at the opposite ends of theflanges constitute in effect an interrupted transverse flange on the trailing edge of the plate.

In addition to the generally co-planar flanges such as 23 and 24 andZS and 27, all of which are uniformly spaced from the plane of the 'base 8, are supplementary side flanges 34 and 36. The latter flanges provide reinforcements for the outer edges of the flanges 23 and 2! and extend from substantially the plane of such flanges in a downward direction or in a direction approaching the plane of the heel base 8 to provide a Wedge shaped or converging space between the edge of the plate 9 and the base 3. In addition to the particular configurations described, the heel plate is also provided with additional reinforcing fillets and cutaway portions to facilitate its manufacture and its engagement with a separate rubber heel.

To cooperate with the plate 9 after it has been fastened permanently in position on the heel base 8, I provide a heel, generally designated 4|, which is of substantially the same external configuration as the heel base 8., has an approximately uniform thickness and is fabricated of rubber or other material capable of being readily deformed and then of elastically returning substantially to its original position and also of exerting an elastic. forcewhen restrained.

The heel is moldedof one piece of material and as it is molded is formed with an interior cavity 42 almost exactly of the same interior contour as the exterior contour of the plate 9. The heel cavity 42, for example, has a pair of longitudinal grooves 43 and 44 sufiicient to accommodate the ribs Hi and il. Likewise, there is a transverse groove 46 effective to accommodate the transverse rib H3. The grooves 43 and 44 as well as the groove 56 forming part of the cavity within the heel enlarge so that they provide heel por- 23 and 24 between the flanges 26 and 2! and between the flanges 33 and the base unit 8. The deformable heel material, being cramped in such spaces due to the converging channelcharacter of the plate, provides a Wedge engagement so 00 tions adapted to be disposed between the flanges that the heel M is urged elastically into firm 32 of the plate and is wedged into position there-' on. Then the heel is permitted to relax from its bent or deformed condition and in effect to revolve into contact with the rearward portion of the heel unit 8 during which time the channel 46 closes from its distorted open position over the trailing flange 32 and underlies such flange or is disposed with a portion of the heel rubber between such flange and the base unit. When the heel has re-acquired its normal substantially planar position in abutment with the base, and although it is well held in position on the plate by its own elasticity, there can be applied, in addition, an auxiliary fastening in the nature of a shoe nail 41 of the customary kind. This passes through an aperture 48 provided for that purpose in the heel 4| and is driven into the material of the heel base 8 thus securely looking all .of the parts together.

Since one side of the heel may be worn in use more than the other or it may be desired from time to time to change the wearing portion of the heel if the nail is utilized, it can readily be withdrawn and then the user, by grasping the rearward portion of the deformable heel unit 4| can in effect revolve it thereby deforming it and stretching the transverse groove 46 into an open condition so that the entire resilient heel unit 4| can be slid forwardly, as seen in Figure 5, to a disengaged position. A pair of heels can be thus each removed and changed from right to left in orderto equalize the Wear on the different sides thereof or canentirely be removed and replaced by new wearing units. Furthermore, new shoes can readily be equipped with plates as shown so that rubber heels can be applied thereto by a person with only ordinary skill.

In initially applying the plates, it is a good expedient first to assemble the detached plate 9 with the heel 4| so as to provide a single functional unit and then to apply this assembly over the heel base 8 in proper registry therewith. Then, when the plate part of the assembly is pressed against the heel base 8 the projections l9 engage the material of the base. If this is with sufficient firmness the deformable heel 4| can be carefully removed from the plate, leaving the plate in properly located position on the heel unit.

Even if the temporary assembly is then removed,

marks of the proper plate location are left in the viously described and the construction is ready:

for reassembly.

In accordance with this arrangement a considerably improved heel construction is provided which is adaptable to many different uses and can readily be applied by persons of only ordinary skill.

Iclaim:

1. A heel construction comprising a base; a plate secured to said base, said plate having a transverse rib and a pair of longitudinal ribs merging with said transverse rib, flanges on said longitudinal ribs'spaced from said base and defining channelshaving walls converging toward said'longitudinal ribs, a flange on said transverse rib spaced from said base; and a deformable heel adapted to abut said base and having a cavity therein accommodating, said plate and defining "portions of said heel wedged in said converging channels and disposed between said flanges and said base.

2. A' heel construction comprising abase; a plate secured to said base, said plate having a Foltransverse rib and a pair of longitudinal ribs, flanges on all of said ribs extending outwardly therefrom and some of said flanges being spaced from said base varying amounts to form converging channels; and a deformable heel having a cavity therein shaped to wedge said heel into said channels and to underlie said flanges when said heel abuts said base in undeformed condition.

3. A heel construction comprising a base; a plate abutting said base, said plate having interior ribs, exterior out-turned flanges spaced from said base, interior in-turned flanges spaced from said base; means for fastening said plate to said base; a deformable heel having a cavity therein to accommodate said plate, said heel having projections adapted normally to extend between said flanges and said base and to be withdrawn when said heel is deformed.

4. A heel construction comprising a base; a plate secured to said base, said plate having up- 6 standing and flanged portions which together with said base form converging channels and having a transversely extending flanged portion; and a heel having a cavity therein contoured to provide projections wedging into said converging channels and a lip extending between said transversely extending flanged portion and said base.

JOHN NICOLETTI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 15 Number Name Date 1,291,657 Nolan Jan. 14, 1919 1,888,617 Bridi Nov. 22, 1922 FOREIGN PATENTS 20 Number Country Date 348,683 Great Britain May 13, 1931 

